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Photo:Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn Evans
Active Time:15 minsTotal Time:30 minsServings:6Jump to Nutrition Facts
Active Time:15 minsTotal Time:30 minsServings:6
Active Time:15 mins
Active Time:
15 mins
Total Time:30 mins
Total Time:
30 mins
Servings:6
Servings:
6
Jump to Nutrition Facts
Jump to recipe
My Mother’s Taiwanese Cucumber Salad Is the Most Refreshing Side Dish You Can Make This Summer
Is there anything as hot and muggy as a Midwestern summer? Summer in subtropical Taiwan, perhaps. That’s probably why my mother, as a new immigrant, turned to gardening—not just as a way to explore her academic field of botany, but also to connect her traditions of food with her new home.
When I was growing up, my mother always had a garden in our backyard. She immigrated to the United States as a graduate student in botany, and even though she stepped away from her career to raise my brother and me, she still had a green thumb. She would plant seeds in a clearing where our backyard blurred into the neighbor’s, and a thicket of leaves would sprout up. In the heat of the afternoon, it was my job to check and see what was ripe for the night’s dinner.
But the garden was my mother’s territory, not mine. Unlike the neatly mowed bluegrass where the neighborhood kids played tag, the garden was wild, filled with towering cornstalks and tangles of tomato vines. I was terrified of sticking my hand into the thick foliage, not sure if something soft was a perfectly ripe beefsteak tomato or a squishy grub. I much preferred harvesting cucumbers, although it wasn’t without risk. Mean grubs didn’t live under their dense leaves, but they presented another hazard: tiny, almost invisible thorns, which pricked my fingers.
She would slice the rounded nub off one end of the fruit and then the other. Then, she would rub the first nub on the second end, and repeat the process with the second nub on the first end. “Makes it less bitter,” she said. She’d rub the slices with salt and then dress them with a mixture of rice vinegar and sugar, maybe a little minced garlic. Unlike the cucumber salads now so popular in Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants, with their dark, spicy baths of soy sauce and chiles, my mother’s salad was simple. A little sweet, salty and tangy, it was the perfect cooling side dish to cut through spicy mapo tofu, or smoky beef and bell pepper stir-fry.
Once I left my childhood home, I had no interest in gardening—it was too dirty, too slow, too boring. I’d much rather buy my produce at a grocery store, or maybe a farmers’ market. But during the early days of the pandemic, I came around to growing my own cucumbers. I was ordering groceries for both my family and my mother, who lives across town. Frustrated with the lack of variety in my produce delivery boxes, I ordered a few packs of seeds fromKitazawa Seeds, a company which specializes in Asian heirloom produce. Not only did they have slicing cucumbers and pickling cucumbers, but they had so many varieties! I chose a Japanese breed, similar to an English cucumber, but smaller and thinner. The seeds arrived in beautiful ecru paper envelopes adorned with simple botanical drawings. I tore open the pack, treasuring the translucent teardrops. I poked holes in the topsoil with an old chopstick and dropped a few in each, as my mother taught me.
Spring turned to summer, and summer turned to fire season. But even when the sky turned dark with wildfire smoke and the air hung hot and muggy, my plants thrived. I had my own supply of cucumbers, cool and crisp and not a thorn in sight. It was more than enough for both myself and my mother. Even in unprecedented times, all I had to do was add a shake of salt, a splash of vinegar and sugar, and a few slices of garlic to cool off and calm down. Now, this recipe, so simple it hardly needs directions, is one of the dishes I make regularly during those too-hot-to-cook summer evenings.
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)Ingredients2tablespoonssugar2tablespoonsunseasonedrice vinegar1poundPersiancucumbers1 1/2teaspoonskosher salt1clovegarlic, thinly sliced lengthwise1/2teaspoonmedium-grainsea salt(see Tip)
Cook Mode(Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
2tablespoonssugar
2tablespoonsunseasonedrice vinegar
1poundPersiancucumbers
1 1/2teaspoonskosher salt
1clovegarlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2teaspoonmedium-grainsea salt(see Tip)
DirectionsCombine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansCut off and discard cucumber ends; cut the cucumbers in half crosswise. Cut each chunk in half lengthwise. Smash each section with the side of a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut each smashed piece crosswise into ½- to 1-inch pieces.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansPlace the cucumbers in a medium bowl; sprinkle with kosher salt, tossing gently to distribute the salt. Let stand for 15 minutes.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansDrain the excess water from the cucumbers, pressing lightly with your hands to strain as much liquid as possible without crushing them. Dress the cucumbers with the vinegar-sugar mixture. Add garlic and sea salt; toss lightly.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansTipSea salt comes in different grain sizes based on how it’s processed. Medium-grain sea salt is great for finishing this salad. Look for sea salt labeled medium grain or coarse in the spice aisle of major grocery stores.EatingWell.com, July 2024
Directions
Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansCut off and discard cucumber ends; cut the cucumbers in half crosswise. Cut each chunk in half lengthwise. Smash each section with the side of a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut each smashed piece crosswise into ½- to 1-inch pieces.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansPlace the cucumbers in a medium bowl; sprinkle with kosher salt, tossing gently to distribute the salt. Let stand for 15 minutes.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansDrain the excess water from the cucumbers, pressing lightly with your hands to strain as much liquid as possible without crushing them. Dress the cucumbers with the vinegar-sugar mixture. Add garlic and sea salt; toss lightly.Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Addelyn EvansTipSea salt comes in different grain sizes based on how it’s processed. Medium-grain sea salt is great for finishing this salad. Look for sea salt labeled medium grain or coarse in the spice aisle of major grocery stores.
Combine sugar and vinegar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks slightly syrupy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Cut off and discard cucumber ends; cut the cucumbers in half crosswise. Cut each chunk in half lengthwise. Smash each section with the side of a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut each smashed piece crosswise into ½- to 1-inch pieces.
Place the cucumbers in a medium bowl; sprinkle with kosher salt, tossing gently to distribute the salt. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Drain the excess water from the cucumbers, pressing lightly with your hands to strain as much liquid as possible without crushing them. Dress the cucumbers with the vinegar-sugar mixture. Add garlic and sea salt; toss lightly.
TipSea salt comes in different grain sizes based on how it’s processed. Medium-grain sea salt is great for finishing this salad. Look for sea salt labeled medium grain or coarse in the spice aisle of major grocery stores.
Tip
Sea salt comes in different grain sizes based on how it’s processed. Medium-grain sea salt is great for finishing this salad. Look for sea salt labeled medium grain or coarse in the spice aisle of major grocery stores.
EatingWell.com, July 2024
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Nutrition Facts(per serving)29Calories0gFat7gCarbs1gProtein
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.
SourcesEatingWell is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about oureditorial policies and standardsto learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy.Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan).History.
Sources
EatingWell is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about oureditorial policies and standardsto learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy.Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan).History.
EatingWell is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources—including peer-reviewed studies—to support the facts in our articles. Read about oureditorial policies and standardsto learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan).History.
